29 September 2009
Al Ain City:  The radiology arm - the Clinical Imaging Institute - of Al Ain Hospital has initiated a major enhancement and redevelopment of its facilities in its continuing quest to provide seamless, quick and efficient services in line with the hospital's endeavor to become a comprehensive and cutting-edge community health care services provider.

The reinforcement of the facilities will include the introduction of a state-of-the-art  C.T scan machine, which is considered to incorporate the most advanced imaging technology in the world and one of its kind in UAE

Al Ain Hospital is managed by Medical University of Vienna,  VAMED and operated by SEHA, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company.

Commenting on the new initiatives for the Clinical Imaging Institute, Mr. George Jepson, CEO of Al Ain Hospital said: "The enhancement of services which also includes opening new sub specialties, is part of the strategic plan of the hospital to develop into a centre of excellence across a broad spectrum of healthcare services and disciplines within the Al Ain community as well as beyond. Our aim is to be a competitive one-stop-shop provider of comprehensive healthcare services which will be beneficial for the community members of Al Ain and Abu Dhabi, as well as the whole of the UAE."

"Specialisation is a strategic way forward for the hospital in its efforts to become a preferred medical and health care entity in the UAE and the region," he added.

Dr. Gerhard Schwab, Medical Director, Al Ain Hospital said: "Sophisticated and advanced clinical imaging techniques are the basic pillars of modern clinical diagnosis. In line with our commitment to provide the community with the highest standards of medical care, the institute will incorporate the latest technology in clinical imaging. The technological enhancement would be further reinforced by the deployment of relevant operational expertise."

Prof. Michael Fuchsjaeger, a Consultant Radiologist and an Associate Professor of  Radiology, Medical University of Vienna with specialization in breast imaging, women's imaging, imaging of the pelvis, gender imaging, who recently joined the hospital as the Head of Clinical Imaging Institute is spearheading the modernization.

Emphasising that the new facilities and technological reinforcements will make the Al Ain Hospital Clinical Imaging Institute a significantly advanced entity in its services, Prof. Michael Fuchsjaeger said: "It is imperative that any advanced health care services facility like the Al Ain Hospital should have a competent and seamlessly efficient radiology division to support the quick diagnosis and in turn expert treatment of patients.  It is in this light that we are introducing advanced clinical diagnostic facilities. Sophisticated technology along with advanced diagnostic features will make the department a fully digitalized entity on par with the best global medical institutions."

He said the highlight of the reinforcements is the diversification into the sub specialty of breast imaging. "We are working towards setting up a brand new breast imaging centre as a separate unit under the Clinical Imaging Institute soon. For this purpose we will be acquiring state-of-the-art mammography machines and the breast imaging unit will start functioning in the next couple of months once the machines are installed."

Dr. Michael said the Clinical Imaging Institute improvements were focused on two fronts - technology with the acquisition of the latest computerised machinery - and a reinforcement of expertise with the deployment of requisite and relevant trained manpower.

The Clinical Imaging Institute enhancement plan will also include the acquisition and installation of  a range of new machines, including:

o        Two new fluoroscopes facilitating dynamic examinations

o        Two ultra sound machines

o        Two mobile x-ray units

o        A new angiography unit

"The comprehensive and expansionary exercises will help the Al Ain Hospital provide enhanced health care to the needy in line with its mandate to be a best-in-class medical centre with facilities and services benchmarked to global standards," Dr. Michael added.

-Ends-

About Al Ain Hospital
Al Ain Hospital is a 412 -bed acute care hospital with more than 250 physicians on staff, 35+ medical departments and three Family Medicine Centers. The hospital's emergency room serves the Al Ain community by operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, year round. Al Ain Hospital is committed to providing the community with high-quality healthcare in a safe, caring, confidential environment in line with European world class standards and the expectations of the Al Ain community and the UAE.

Each day, an average of 350 patients is seen in the Emergency Room. With more than 320,000 outpatients seen in the Specialty Outpatient Clinics and Family Medicine Centers, the hospital is a key competency centre for multidisciplinary, specialist, ambulatory and outpatient diagnostics and treatment services. Al Ain Hospital is managed under an exclusive partnership between VAMED (a leading European Hospital Management company) and, Medical University of Vienna. In addition to this, Al Ain Hospital has a long established prestigious collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UAE University in Al Ain. Al Ain Hospital is owned and operated by an Abu Dhabi Health Services company (SEHA) which is responsible for all curative activities of the public hospitals and clinics of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. For more information please visit; www.alain-hospital.ae

About SEHA
SEHA is health in Arabic.  The Abu Dhabi Health Services Company - whose corporate identity is SEHA - is an independent, public joint stock company created to manage and develop the curative activities of the public hospitals and clinics of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.  SEHA is committed to providing quality, cost effective healthcare on par with international standards measured through accessibility, affordability, choice and satisfaction.  SEHA owns and operates 12 hospital facilities, 2,644 licensed beds, 62 Ambulatory and Primary Healthcare Clinics, 2 blood banks and an autism education center.  SEHA is one of the largest employers in the Middle East with more than 15,000 doctors, nurses and other clinical staff and administration employed.  For further information, visit us at www.seha.ae or contact James S Ferrier, Corporate Marketing Manager at jferrier@seha.ae or Salama Al Mazrouei, Corporate Marketing Specialist at smazrouei@seha.ae.

© Press Release 2009